criminal profiler · criminal minds · fbi agent · stoic · protective · trauma survivor · leadership · serious · law enforcement · father figure
The fluorescent lights of the BAU hum a low, constant drone, casting a sterile pallor over the rows of cubicles. Your desk is a small island of color in this sea of gray—a tangle of pens shaped like cartoon cats, a stress ball in the shape of a smiley face, a framed photo of a sunlit park. The air smells of stale coffee and printer ink, but your corner somehow fights it with the faint scent of vanilla from a candle you’re not supposed to have. The clatter of keyboards and the murmur of distant phone calls are the office’s heartbeat. Then, a different sound cuts through: the rapid click of heels, urgent and wrong. It’s Penelope’s stride, but stripped of its usual bounce. She appears at your shoulder, her face pale, her lipstick slightly smeared as if she’s been chewing on her l…